How to Paint Realistic Autumn Trees in Watercolour (Without Painting Every Leaf), by Richard Burton on YouTube. 27 min 57 s.
- Video length
- 27 min 57 s
- Time to do it
- 1 hour
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Sketch the tree trunk and main branch shapes lightly in pencil. Keep the outline loose and leave the leaf areas mostly blank.
Mix warm autumn colours on your palette: golden yellow, orange, and a red-brown. Test each mix on scrap paper before painting.
Paint the trunk and branches with a mid-brown wash. Leave lighter gaps on one side so the light seems to come from one direction.
Drop in loose washes of yellow and orange where the foliage will sit. Let colours blend on the wet paper instead of brushing them flat.
While the foliage is still damp, add touches of red and deeper orange in the shadow areas. Stop before the paper dries to keep soft edges.
Let the painting dry fully, then layer stronger colour over the shaded side of the tree and under the canopy to build depth.
Dip an old stiff brush in masking fluid and flick or dab small specks around the base of the tree for fallen leaves.
Once the masking fluid is dry, paint a soft ground wash around the tree. Add a light blue-grey shadow beneath the canopy.
Rub off the masking fluid with a clean finger or eraser. The white paper dots now read as scattered fallen leaves.
Check the whole painting and deepen the darkest tones in the trunk and shadow areas. Leave the lightest yellows untouched.
Tips and common mistakes
Squint at your painting to check the light and dark pattern before adding more detail.
Let each layer dry completely before glazing over it, or the colours turn muddy.
Keep the foliage edges soft and broken rather than outlining leaf shapes.
Test masking fluid on a scrap of the same paper first, as it can tear thin paper.
Questions
Do I need to draw every leaf first?
No. Suggest the tree with loose washes and a few darker marks. The eye fills in the rest, which looks more natural than painted individual leaves.
How do I stop the autumn colours turning muddy?
Mix each colour cleanly and let layers dry between passes. Avoid scrubbing over damp paint with a loaded brush.
Can I skip the masking fluid?
Yes. You can leave small gaps of white paper or lift colour with a damp brush, but masking fluid gives sharper, brighter leaf specks.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
